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Education

English only: Japan colleges teach how to speak with the world

Four universities mix foreign students and overseas study into liberal arts

Akita International University, which has this library open around the clock, has an English-centered education. (Photo courtesy of Akita International University)

TOKYO -- Nestled in the wooded mountains of Japan's northwest lies a small liberal arts college that has pioneered an all-out method to raise the English-language skills of its students -- total immersion. All classes and daily interactions are conducted in English at the school.

Japan has long worked to raise the English ability of its population, without which interacting with the rest of the world is much more difficult. But because of limited contact with native speakers, verbal fluency is still rare.

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